— Zinaida Andreyevna, you always defend your grandson so actively. Maybe Stepan was a good boy in childhood, but times change. What has he become? Why doesn’t he visit you now and help out? Has he completely forgotten about his grandmother? – Antonina Fyodorovna asked her neighbor.
Zinaida Andreyevna was like a second mother to her. Antonina was fond of her neighbor, and when she became alone — her daughter moved to another city, and her grandson simply began renting an apartment in the city, not showing his face in the village — Antonina and her daughter took over caring for the neighbor. How could they leave her completely alone? The woman always defended her grandson, always sat by the window, waiting for when he would appear. She could not believe that such a good boy, who always helped her in the garden, had changed. Neighbors gossiped that Stepan drank, but Zinaida Andreyevna just twirled her finger at her temple, calling them envious.
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— Tonechka, he hasn’t forgotten about me, of course. He’s just busy now. He has too much work. He will definitely come.
Zinaida Andreyevna was pitiable. Antonina always tried to support her, to show that she still had a family, even if not biological. It was sometimes hurtful that the woman did not notice this, always starting conversations about her grandson.
— Maybe Nastya will marry Stepya! He has achieved such success.
Nastya, Antonina Fyodorovna’s daughter, was in no hurry to marry. Why should she? She was fine on her own. She was afraid of making a mistake, and so far, she had not met a worthy man. And she had never looked at Stepan as a potential partner: firstly, Zina’s grandson was nine years older than Nastya, and secondly – she heard what he had become.
— Of course, he has a lot of work, — Antonina Fyodorovna just nodded her head. – Zinaida Andreyevna, you know that Nastya and I are here for you, right? We will never leave you. Stop spending whole days sad by the window, and walking to the bus stop every day. If Stepya decides to visit, won’t he find his way to his grandmother’s house?
Zinaida Andreyevna just shook her head, unable to respond. She felt heavy-hearted, hurt. She convinced herself that her grandson hadn’t forgotten her and wanted to believe for the better. And her daughter had called on her birthday, asked how her mother was, but said to not forget that Stepya was her only heir, her support.
Antonina Fyodorovna had repeatedly suggested to her neighbor to sell her house and move in with them and her daughter. It was hard for the woman to manage two houses, since the yard also needed maintenance to not fall into disrepair, but Zinaida Andreyevna persistently waved it off.
— What would that be? I sell the house, and Stepya has nowhere to come to, right?
The grandmother herself had long been struggling to manage the household. Although she could still outdo many, she was clearly out of breath. Antonina Fyodorovna and Nastya helped in every way they could.
Going to the city, Antonina Fyodorovna saw a janitor at the station and could not believe her eyes – could it really be Stepan? She approached closer, looked carefully, confirmed it was him, and decided to speak to him. Maybe she could convince him to visit his grandmother?
It turned out later that Zinaida Andreyevna had not been receiving her pension for a long time – her grandson had the card. Learning about this, Antonina Fyodorovna became very angry at such a grandson!.. The grandmother lived only from her garden, could not afford to buy meat, and her grandson didn’t even visit her.
— Stepa, is that you? – Antonina Fyodorovna asked, approaching the preoccupied man.
— Hello. Didn’t think we’d see each other.
— Yeah… I especially didn’t expect to see you as a janitor. Your grandmother says you hold some important position.
Stepan just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. He reeked of alcohol. Antonina Fyodorovna’s heart clenched. While the grandmother gave him her entire pension and waited for him to visit, he worked as a janitor. He probably drank her pension away, while she wore hand-me-downs and couldn’t afford to buy clothes. Only additional benefits, which were paid for age and given for travel, were not transferred to the card but were brought to her personally, signed for.
— Well, I… I’m working off debts for child support. I do hold a high position, of course. I work as a manager! Here!
What kind of manager he was, became clear at first glance – he couldn’t even string a couple of words together. Alcohol had taken everything away.
— How is grandmother doing?
— You don’t have a grandmother anymore, and you don’t even know it, — Antonina Fyodorovna shook her head.
— What do you mean? Did she pass away? Why then hasn’t the pension stopped being transferred to the card? – Stepan was surprised.
It was hard to say these words, but Antonina Fyodorovna decided to show the neighbor the true face of her grandson, so she would finally stop sponsoring his drinking sprees and live for herself. And Antonina couldn’t support the grandmother by herself. She needed to help her daughter buy a place in the city. Nastya was currently renting an apartment, having found a job in the city, but the rent was nerve-wracking.
Antonina Fyodorovna just spread her hands, deciding not to confirm Stepan’s conclusions, but she said nothing against it either. Maybe he would stir himself and decide to come to the village.
— What news you’ve told me, of course. So, does that mean I can sell the house? – Stepan scratched the back of his head.
Was that all he cared about? Antonina Fyodorovna had no doubt, but it was still sad for the woman, who sincerely believed she still had a beloved grandson, her Stepashka.
— I don’t know what you can sell there. Well, I need to go! Go on, work off your debts, and get back to your manager’s chair, because an empty place does not stay vacant for long.
The meeting left a bitter aftertaste. Antonina Fyodorovna understood that if she told the grandmother she had seen her grandson – she wouldn’t believe it, would say that Tonya was just envious, hence inventing nonsense. She decided to wait a bit, maybe Stepan would come for the inheritance that he only seemed to be waiting for. And if not – it would be necessary to contact the relevant authorities to stop transferring Zinaida Andreyevna’s pension to the card, and bring it along with the other payments. Enough of sponsoring the grandson’s binges.
The wait wasn’t long – Stepan rushed over the next day. Discussing with friends that the house could be quickly sold to dealers, who would then handle all the paperwork, Stepan looked inspired. He would have money for parties, and could even pay off a little debt on child support.
Stepan almost kicked the door open. Antonina Fyodorovna immediately rushed there to prevent him from harming the old lady. She already regretted talking to the man. After all, Zinaida Andreyevna’s heart might not withstand it. And to hell with the money!.. If she liked to believe that her grandson sat in a director’s chair, let her think so!.. Antonina Fyodorovna berated herself, feeling guilty. She knew she wouldn’t forgive herself if something happened to the grandmother.
— Stepya? Did you really come? – asked Zinaida Andreyevna with a joyful voice.
— Are you… alive, then? – Stepan gasped, widening his eyes. – But they told me you died, I came for the inheritance, thought maybe you left something, wanted to sell the house.
The smile slid off Zinaida Andreyevna’s lips. She looked at her grandson, whom she always defended in front of neighbors, and understood – they were right. He wasn’t working as any director, and his life had battered him severely – was that why he was afraid to show his face to his grandmother? There was no shame left in him, apparently, if he rushed for the inheritance.
Antonina Fyodorovna, who entered the house practically following Stepan, looked at Zinaida Andreyevna fearfully. In her gaze, there was the strongest sense of guilt.
— You’ve been spending my savings every month. I thought the money was going to something worthwhile. Mother always talked about your business. Now I see what kind of business you have. I believed, waited for my grandson to visit his grandma. But I sat by the window and met buses in vain. Haven’t seen you for so many years, better if I never saw you at all. How did you stoop so low? You think I don’t see, that you came here drunk? Lent’s over for the cat! Enough of leading me by the nose. Leave, Stepa. I don’t want to see you. If my daughter and grandson have disowned me, I probably deserved it. But I won’t tolerate it any longer. Enough is enough. You won’t get another penny from me. And don’t count on the inheritance. You won’t get this house!
— Ba, what’s up? You flared up! There was no need for that. I was just joking. Came to visit you, maybe help around the yard.
— You weren’t joking, — Antonina Fyodorovna frowned. – Zinaida Andreyevna, please forgive me. I blurted out too much, and he just assumed the rest. You always defended your grandson, I wanted you to see him in all his glory, and feel sorry a hundred times over.
— It’s alright, Tonechka. Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth.
— You’ve teamed up against me? Well done, nothing to say! You’d better watch your own daughter, Antonina Fyodorovna. The city, it’s such – full of temptations, and then you don’t even realize how you’re on the edge, afraid to make a move left or right. How pitiful you all are. And I won’t give you the card, ba! That’s it.
With these words, Stepan burst out of the house, as if scalded, and Zinaida Andreyevna, with tears in her eyes, looked at Antonina.
— Will you help me, Tonechka? Somehow we need to make sure he doesn’t get my pension anymore. And the house… you said it could be sold. If the offer is still valid, then I agree. I have no one left but you and Nastya.
— Of course, I will help. Do you forgive me for allowing Stepan to entertain such a thought? I’m so sorry. I didn’t sleep all night, scolded myself, afraid of how you would take the truth.
— Better to take off the rose-colored glasses. I’ve helped him for so many years. And my daughter was happy to try, when she called, she talked so much about his successes, just so I wouldn’t stop sponsoring her son. That’s it. He won’t see another penny from me. You saw yourself how he galloped over. Wanted to get the inheritance. I threw a fit. What could I have thrown in there? I scraped by as best I could from penny to penny. If it weren’t for you and Nastya, I would have perished long ago.
Stepan sat at the bus stop until the next scheduled bus. He was angry that he had rushed to the village, wasting time. He was supposed to go to work off his debt, thought he would throw some money to his ex, and she would leave him alone about child support, but now he faced serious problems. The man cursed the neighbor, who stuck her nose where it wasn’t asked for, the grandmother. Couldn’t she live in peace? She hadn’t starved to death. There she was, alive and well. She might live another hundred years. Grinding his teeth, Stepan counted his remaining coins, wondering how to get by. His mother hadn’t helped him with money for a long time, having set the condition that he must get a job. Did he need a job? When there was so much fun around! Who would spend time with friends? They didn’t work, somehow scraped by, and their relatives were more accommodating, tossed them money more often.
Zinaida Andreyevna did not want to back down from her decision. She realized that besides Toni and Nastya, she really had no one left. So that her neighbor wouldn’t be torn between two homes, Zinaida agreed to move in with her. They allocated a large, bright room for her. She moved her belongings there, what she wanted to keep as memories. The house was successfully sold, and she got a new card, reporting the old one lost. From the sale of the house, Zinaida Andreyevna updated her wardrobe, as her clothes had worn out, her shoes were worn, and she had deprived herself of everything for the sake of her grandson. She believed in him, even though deep down she already guessed that the rumors were not just gossip, but could well have a solid foundation.
— Tonechka, I brought you the money we made from selling the house. I don’t need them, I can’t take them with me to the grave. I heard you and Nastya talking about a mortgage. You can invest this money in buying, I want to be at least a little useful to you.
Antonina Fyodorovna tried to dissuade the grandmother, saying she should pamper herself, but she remained adamant.
— For me, the joy is finding a real family that cares so much about me, — wiping away a tear, said Zinaida Andreyevna. – I want you to be happy too. It’s not much, but it’s less debt. Nastya is a good girl, everything will definitely work out for her.
Antonina Fyodorovna felt guilty, because she didn’t arrange all this just for that, she really loved the grandmother, who had become a family member to them. The woman finally took the money, understanding that if she refused, one day it might end up with Stepan, or Zinaida Andreyevna’s daughter might come with demands. But let them dare now to approach the person they abandoned and deceived for so many years! Antonina Fyodorovna wouldn’t let them near. She wouldn’t let grandma Zina shed another tear over the unworthy.
